{"id":931733,"date":"2026-10-17T18:28:29","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T18:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/931733\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T18:28:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T18:28:29","slug":"nrl-2026-haumole-olakauatu-stars-as-tonga-hand-england-world-cup-loss-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/931733\/","title":{"rendered":"NRL 2026: Haumole Olakau\u2019atu stars as Tonga hand England World Cup loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plenty of people picked Tonga as their tournament roughies, and that faith appears justified as the big red machine bashed their way to a 30-12 win over England in front of their passionate fans.<\/p>\n

It means England no longer control their finals hopes after they were outclassed by Tonga in a World Cup result nine years in the making.<\/p>\n

Tonga announced themselves on the global stage at the 2017 World Cup with a heartbreaking semi-final loss against England, but they finally have their revenge after a gutsy win in the west.<\/p>\n

Kristian Woolf\u2019s side had been in a slump but made a statement on Saturday night with one of his Dolphins stars playing a pivotal role against an English team that offloaded well but lacked an attacking spark in the spine.<\/p>\n

Tongan No.7 Isaiya Katoa took his chances and set up the opening try of the night for Stefano Utoikamanu with a lovely short ball before he knocked over four penalty goals to keep the scoreboard ticking. <\/p>\n

They relied on their monster pack nine years ago, but it\u2019s their outside backs who shone on Saturday with Lehi Hopoate safe under the high ball, while Robert Toia made a couple of big breaks down the right.<\/p>\n

And then there was veteran winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak who switched his international allegiance and made it count with three huge kick chases that won two penalties and forced an error.<\/p>\n

HOLY MOLE<\/p>\n

Haumole Olakau\u2019atu was in tears during the anthem, he proudly led the spine-tingling Sipi Tau, and then scored two crucial second-half tries to get his side home. <\/p>\n

All four moments were special for the barnstorming back-rower, but the tries have his country on the verge of reaching the semi-finals.<\/p>\n

He reacted quickly to a scrappy Katoa grubber and toed it through for himself to score, with Sea Eagles teammate Tolu Koula then pouncing onto a grubber two minutes later to blow the game wide open. <\/p>\n

And he then put the icing on the cake when he raced through to ground another Katoa grubber to clinch the famous win. <\/p>\n

The result means they control their destiny and will make the finals if they beat Lebanon and Samoa.<\/p>\n

DESTINY\u2019S CHILD<\/p>\n

England could beat France and PNG and still miss out on a spot in the semis after going down in Perth. <\/p>\n

They played with a lot more enterprise than we saw in last year\u2019s Ashes where Australian fans who got up early struggled to stay awake because of England\u2019s dull tactics.<\/p>\n

They moved the ball around in this one and looked good whenever Herbie Farnworth touched it, but their halves failed to take control of the opportunities with Dolphins-bound playmaker George Williams outclassed by future teammate, Katoa.<\/p>\n

It took a big break from Hugo Savala to set up fellow NRL star AJ Brimson for their first try, but the comeback was shut down fairly quickly.<\/p>\n

INJURY BLOW<\/p>\n

Injuries have been the big story of the opening week of the World Cup, with Tonga five-eighth Latu Fainu the latest star to go down.<\/p>\n

Fainu had come up with some bruising shots in defence but was forced off after 16 minutes with a suspected pec strain, although early reports are that it\u2019s not serious.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a blow to Tonga and for the young playmaker who was hoping to stake his claim for a starting spot at the Tigers next year after struggling for opportunities.<\/p>\n

The injury also wreaked havoc with the bench after they made the call to start boom back-rower Salesi Foketi over Soni Luke at dummy-half.<\/p>\n

Tui Lolohea came on in the halves, with Foketi continuing his amazing 2026 by getting the job done in an unfamiliar role.<\/p>\n

Originally published as Holy Haumole: Tonga gets revenge nine years later thanks to scary second half as England now need a miracle to make the semis<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Plenty of people picked Tonga as their tournament roughies, and that faith appears justified as the big red…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":931734,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[498413,498443,498409,377258,456494,498421,498459,378883,377373,377498,498427,498442,376730,498423,377442,498456,498452,498415,404950,498467,376769,498408,498466,498464,498424,498458,498402,498418,498404,64,63,136006,498412,498425,498463,17106,3403,498407,498435,498451,379450,498433,1208,498446,16308,417984,498428,498469,5588,498454,114538,51086,109574,28081,498462,498468,415425,466469,385563,498438,477645,498440,498426,11402,28825,498431,45755,386858,55319,35446,11471,498453,761,762,155207,35062,498457,390221,158,498422,1861,46,46677,38015,4542,498455,46907,498416,5400,498417,498403,498434,74193,85,48767,46206,498420,498419,462074,377205,454579,384381,498437,498441,376492,382970,405935,205158,498401,377514,74713,388168,395523,494269,471731,380914,423105,498465,377486,398864,432203,380370,383260,498439,498432,498406,421857,498436,498410,36522,395188,238313,498429,72503,395147,498405,387607,394597,498414,498461,498430,498444,498445,498411,380350,380192,498450,18559,498449,498447,380289,498448,498460,21418],"class_list":["post-931733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-s-ashes","tag-s-childengland","tag-s-dull-tactics-they","tag-s-side","tag-16-minutes","tag-a-30-12-win","tag-a-big-break","tag-a-blow","tag-a-couple","tag-a-grubber","tag-a-gutsy-win","tag-a-heartbreaking-semi-final-loss","tag-a-lot","tag-a-lovely-short-ball","tag-a-miracle","tag-a-pivotal-role","tag-a-scrappy-katoa-grubber","tag-a-slump","tag-a-spot","tag-a-starting-spot","tag-a-statement","tag-a-suspected-pec-strain","tag-a-world-cup-result","tag-all-four-moments","tag-an-attacking-spark","tag-an-english-team","tag-an-error-holy-molehaumole-olakauatu","tag-an-unfamiliar-role","tag-another-katoa-grubber","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-fans","tag-big-breaks","tag-blowinjuries","tag-boom-back-rower-salesi-foketi","tag-control","tag-defence","tag-dolphins-bound-playmaker-george-williams","tag-down-fainu","tag-dummy-half-tui-lolohea","tag-early-reports","tag-early-world-cup-exit","tag-england","tag-fellow-nrl-star-aj-brimson","tag-finals","tag-foketi","tag-four-penalty-goals","tag-france-and-png","tag-front","tag-future-teammate","tag-haumole-olakauatu","tag-havoc","tag-heavyweights","tag-herbie-farnworth","tag-herbie-franworth","tag-his-amazing-2026","tag-his-chances","tag-his-claim","tag-his-country","tag-his-dolphins-stars","tag-his-international-allegiance","tag-his-side-home","tag-holy-haumole","tag-hugo-savala","tag-joy","tag-katoa-it","tag-last-year","tag-latu-fainu","tag-lebanon","tag-lehi-hopoate","tag-match-report","tag-more-enterprise","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-next-year","tag-night","tag-nine-long-years","tag-nine-years","tag-nrl","tag-opportunities-the-injury","tag-people","tag-perth","tag-plenty","tag-revenge","tag-robert-toia","tag-samoa-destiny","tag-saturday","tag-scary-second-half","tag-score","tag-sea-eagles-teammate-tolu-koula","tag-serious-it","tag-some-bruising-shots","tag-soni-luke","tag-sports","tag-stefano-utoikamanu","tag-tears","tag-that-faith","tag-the-2017-world-cup","tag-the-anthem","tag-the-ball","tag-the-barnstorming-back-rower","tag-the-bench","tag-the-big-red-machine","tag-the-big-story","tag-the-brink","tag-the-cake","tag-the-call","tag-the-comeback","tag-the-famous-win","tag-the-finals","tag-the-game","tag-the-global-stage","tag-the-halves","tag-the-high-ball","tag-the-icing","tag-the-job","tag-the-latest-star","tag-the-making-tonga","tag-the-night","tag-the-opening-try","tag-the-opening-week","tag-the-opportunities","tag-the-result","tag-the-right-and","tag-the-scoreboard-ticking","tag-the-semi-finals-he","tag-the-semis","tag-the-spine-tingling-sipi-tau","tag-the-spine-tongan-no-7-isaiya-katoa","tag-the-tigers","tag-the-tries","tag-the-verge","tag-the-west-kristian-woolf","tag-the-world-cup","tag-the-young-playmaker","tag-their-destiny","tag-their-finals-hopes","tag-their-first-try","tag-their-halves","tag-their-monster-pack","tag-their-outside-backs","tag-their-passionate-fans","tag-their-revenge","tag-their-tournament-roughies","tag-their-way","tag-this-one","tag-three-huge-kick-chases","tag-tonga","tag-tonga-five-eighth-latu-fainu","tag-two-crucial-second-half-tries","tag-two-minutes","tag-two-penalties","tag-veteran-winger-dallin-watene-zelezniak","tag-world-cup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/931733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/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